CKuwitzky

I own a Tikka T3 in .243 and a Sako Finnlight in .270WSM. I purchased a new SAKO 75 synthetic in .300 Weatherby last week. Both are great rifles. I prefer he fit/finish of the Sako better, especially the magazine. CK

Actually Tucker, any Benelli 20 ga would be nice. I would love to see the Montefeltro in 20 ga LH. Plleeaasseee! CK

SBE (not SBE ll) in camo w/o scope (although considering a nikon red dot). CK

John, You can hunt elk with a 30/30 if you want to, it just limits your options. I bought a Sako .270WSM last year with the intent of hunting North American large game down to Texas white tail. When I did my homework, I looked at ballistic tables and talked with hunters and sales folks. I came away choosing the .270WSM because I could deliver 1769-2172# of energy @ 300 yds. The highest energy 300 Winmag load delivers 2428# @ 300 yds. The additional 256# of energy wasn't worth the extra punch of the 30 caliber. I felt like I would be more accurate with the .270WSM and that would more than make up for the lower energy. I topped mine off with a Zeiss 3.5x10x44. I am very happy with my setup. Works great. Good Luck! CK [ 01-18-2005, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: CKuwitzky ]

Turkey, See my post in "reconsidering" thread. CK

I own 2 SBE's and my experience with each has been outstanding! Customer service is a pain to deal with, but it seems to be more of an attitude thing. Before I bought my first SBE (my first autoloader), I shopped most of the major names and I kept coming back to Benelli for one reason....reliability in the field. A mechanical action in the field made more sense to me than a gas action. I have watched many gas operated guns stop cycling when you get dirt, dust or muck in them. But my SBE keeps on cycling. Last year in west TX I was hunting ducks/geese. One morning of the hunt it was 25 degrees, windy and muddy. The Berrata extrema fowled, the Browning gold fowled. My SBE chugged away. One hunters M1 fowled I believe because he brought it straight from the store without an initial deep clean and the factory grease/oil congealed a bit. This week I was hunting in Manitoba and guess what, my SBE didn't miss a beat, but a couple of Berrettas did. Mine even got the chamber full of mud. After wiping/skaking it out, you guessed it, my SBE chugged along with both 3" and 3.5" shells. I will wait a while before I buy a SBE ll. Benelli will work out their problems with it and I'm sure it will be as good of gun as the SBE. I recently bought my second SBE for $750. It was a steal and those type deals can be found. Reconsider to a SBE. Save some money and get a reliable gun CK

Interesting thread. Benelli makes great shotguns, but they are absolute zero's in customer service. Even the local dealers here in Dallas bad mouth them. They always tell you, great gun, but don't expect much support. I called to buy an extra barrell for my SBE. Benelli says none in stock and not available in the near future. They tell you accessories are available in the catalog only to tell you that they are not available when you call (pistol grip for my SBE). You just have to know that you'd better get it right the first time because you are solo after that. Interesting side note. After the Typical Benelli run around, I bought a Beretta O/U. Service and support were great. CK

If you own a SBE you can always shoot 3" shells. If you own an M1, you can never shoot 3.5" shells. Obvious I know. Give yourself options. What's cheaper, an additional $200 a SBE or buying a new shotgun if you decide you want to shoot 3.5" shells? CK

I use a Rhino .673 choke in my SBE w/ a 24" barrell. Awesome results with Nitro H521 hevishot in 4x5x7. CK

Try Mack's Prairie Wings, Stuttgart, AR. They usually ahve good prices on Benelli. I could have bought a 12 ga. Montefeltro for $735 vs. $900 around Dallas. CK [ 03-23-2004, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: CKuwitzky ]

I had a Nova and fired 3.5" turkey loads. Hard hitting. Then installed the recoil reducer. Made a difference. Went to the SBE w/ a recoil reducer. Big difference. CK

I've used Rhino chokes and Nitro loads in two guns. Last year I put "87" pellets in the head/neck of a shoot-n-see turkey target @ 45 yards w/ a 3" shell. Nitro loads are expensive, but one shot = one kill. CK

IMO there is no question, M1 and do go camo. The Montefeltro is a great gun but will not stand up to the abuse of waterfowling and it will not accept the Benelli recoil reducer in the stock. Good Luck! CK

Are you using a 3 dram load? My SBE jams as well w/ "light" target loads...less than 3 drams but functions fine w/ heavy loads...3 drams plus. The manual recommends using a heavy loads for the first 100 rounds. I have put over 500 rounds through my SBE and it still will jam about every 3rd round w/ light loads. Try a heavy load...if that doesn't work take it to a gunsmith ASAP. Good luck!